Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a sewing needle. More specifically, the invention is a sewing needle that incorporates an eye portion comprising a cutting edge.
Prior Art
A quilter quilting a project by hand or by machine will use a number of lengths of thread to sew the project together. When the end of a length of thread becomes too short to continue sewing, the quilter will be left with a tail end of thread visible on a front face (here also called a backing) or a back backing of the project. It is desirable for the quilter to hide the tails of thread between the front and back backings of the project.
Using a standard, hand sewing needle, quilters may hide the tail ends of a thread on a quilting project in a number of ways. One manner is to first push a standard needle on its final stitch through a single backing so that the needle is embedded in the space between the two backings. The needle is pushed slightly forward, and again pushed through a backing some distance away from its previous penetration point. This establishes a length of a tail of thread that is hidden between both backings between two penetration points of the needle and the continuation of that length of thread beyond the second penetration point of the needle. By tensioning the thread slightly and sliding the exit point of the needle along the thread toward the previous penetration point of the needle, the backing material is gathered to expose the previously hidden length, now visible outside the final penetration point of the needle and facilitated by the gathering operation. Next, using scissors the quilter can cut the exposed thread close to the desired length. Finally by smoothing out the previously gathered material, the tail of thread is slowly retracted into the space between the backings, backwards through the final penetration point, leaving it hidden between both backings.
The process of hiding the tail end of the thread requires the use of a standard sewing needle or an open eye needle to perform a similar gather-and cut-procedure, and requires scissors or some cutting device to cut the thread. The gathering process also wrinkles the backings of the quilt.